


Danse de la Nuit

by Atroposisms



Series: La Valse des Monstres [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: Aristocracy, Awkward Flirting, Bloodplay, Courtship, Decadence, Drama, Edgeplay, F/M, Love, Other, Reader-Insert, Romance, Royal Courts, S&M, Scheming, Smut, Vampires, court intrigue, vampire romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 16:10:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11855103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Atroposisms/pseuds/Atroposisms
Summary: It was a mistake that caused him to fall out of a portal from ceiling and into your life. Of course, you had to send him back - he couldn't just stay. When it came time for him to leave, though, he made you an offer you couldn't refuse.





	Danse de la Nuit

**Author's Note:**

  * For [YokaiParade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/YokaiParade/gifts).



> Thank you to Johnny for pitching the idea to me, and then letting me run wild with it. You're wonderful, and an inspiration.
> 
> Because, you know, writing Reader/Duel Monster romance fics is now my thing, apparently. I just absolutely love the little niche characters, you know? Tags to be added as needed.
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys this - it was a challenge, and one I loved to take on. And as always, I'm forever appreciative of all your support, and thank you for your comments/kudos/bookmarks/etc.
> 
> Find me on Tumblr @ atroposisms

I.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" You asked, and the doubt was obvious in your voice.

Saori, you best friend of....oh, who knew how many years at this point, it had been awhile, paused in drawing out the chalk symbols on your floor. She shrugged. "I would hope so? I mean..." She bent back down to finish a particular rune. "We did alright with minor creatures, right? So I think it might work." Then she resumed sketching out the summoning circle on your floor, while you set up the candles and incense around your bedroom. Soon enough, a heady scent ('Dragon's Blood', it said on the box) filled the room.

You examined the set-up after the two of you had finished: a large chalk circle filled the middle of your bedroom, a sigil in the center. The four corners of your room were lit by small groups of candles, casting a warm, flickering glow throughout. Small incense holders smoldered around the summoning ring, thin trails of smoke trickling upwards towards the ceiling.

"Good to go?" You asked, and Saori nodded, taking a seat at the edge of the circle. "Cool." After flicking off the last of your bedroom lights, you took your place neck to Saori.

"Alright....here goes nothing!" Saori said brightly, and took your hand in hers. The two of you closed your eyes, and Saori began to chant the Enn that she had memorized: you weren't really sure what language it was, or what it was supposed to say. The only thing you could pick out was the name of the demon the two of you wanted to summon. Besdies, it was Saori who came up with the idea, and who had spent months tracking down a seller for the tome that detailed the ritual.

You shifted slightly, and could feel your palm become sweaty. Saori continued speaking, voice slowly becoming deeper and deeper than what should have been possible, until it was barely a voice and just a low rumble.

And then the final syllable trailed away, a low growl. A moment passed. And then a few more, and hesitantly, you opened an eye.

Nothing happened.

Nothing happened?

You blinked, glancing around the room, and then looked at your friend, puzzled. Saori looked just as confused, a tinge of disappointment on her face. She shrugged.

"I don't know - it was suppo -"

And then a noise, something like paper tearing but magnified hundreds of times over, rolled through your room and covered up whatever it was Saori was trying to say. You started, nearly knocking over one of the incense holders, trying to determine the source of the noise.

"Look look look!" Saori pointed up at your ceiling. A large, black hole was slowly widening - except now the sound had gone from 'really loud tearing paper' to 'paper shredder on steroids'.

And then something fell from the hole in your ceiling, landing on your floor with a loud thud. The hole (or maybe portal was a better word?) then quickly sealed up with a noise that sounded like a 'bwip'.

"Um...."

You could see now that it was a body that had falled from your ceiling, and it lay crumped in the middle of the summoning circle. A large cloak lay draped over the body, although you could see a hand - tipped with claw-like nails - peeking out from underneath the piece of the fabric.

There was silence as both you and Saori regarded the body on the floor, totally shocked and unsure of what to say.

"I mean.... I guess it worked?" You finally broke the silence, and blew out a sigh as you ran your hand through your hair. "I don't know, I thought they were supposed to....rise from the floor or something? Not fall from the ceiling."

Saori looked just as baffled as you. "Same here. Well, at least we managed to summon something, right?" And now excitement permeated her voice, and she sounded proud at what you two had managed to accomplish (even if it was mostly Saori who did all the work, and you just tracked down the candles, chalk and incense needed). But her excitement was contaigious, and you couldn't help but grin broadly back at her, and give her a high-five.

And then you glanced back at the still form. "So.... what is it? And is it dead?" You wished you had a meter stick or something to poke it with.

Saori picked up her grimoire from the floor, straining slightly with how heavy it was. "Well, it's supposed to be the Demon Earl Raum. He's supposed to have the head of a crow." She paused. "Go touch it."

"What? No! What if it, I don't know, tries to eat me?"

"It's fine, Raum's supposed to be a thief of treasure, destroyer of cities. I don't think he eats people," she said reasonably, flipping through the pages of the book. "Come on, pleeeease?"

"Destroyer of cities? That's not helping. Besides, I thought entering the circle would break it's protective powers?" You were still protesting.

Saori rolled her eyes, reached into her pocket, and then handed something to you. "Tiger's eye and amethyst. It's protection. And besides, Raum doesn't have a history of attacking individuals. You're fine."

Shoving the two crystals into your shorts pocket, you grumbled to yourself, but nonetheless turned to stand at the edge of the circle, examining the lump. "This is stupid," you said, loud enough for Saori to hear. Hesitantly, you stuck out a foot and nudged the hand. "Hey, you...uh, you alive?"

No movement.

You nudged the hand again, and still nothing. "Saori, I think it's dea - "

And then you shrieked, swearing loudly as the hand you were nudging suddenly moved, grabbing hold of your ankle. Saori screamed back automatically. As you were windmilling your arms in an attempt to keep your balance, you tried to yank your foot out of the thing's grip. Instead, you lost your stability, and fell on your ass. "Let go!"

Finally, the hand let go of your ankle and you immediately shot backwards, scuttling on your hands and feet, backing yourself up against a wall. Saori dropped her tome with a loud thump, and had clapped both her hands over her mouth to stifle her yells. You were panting, trying to control your hammering heartbeat, and watched warily as the figure slowly stood up - somewhat woozily - in the middle of the circle. It was tall, an indimidating figure, it's floor-length cloak drifting around it. Something like a pair of dragon's claws curled over it's shoulders, pinning the cloak into place.

No crow's head.

"Hey, Saori.... I don't think that's Raum."

Your friend swore, low and vile. "No, I don't think so either." She sat down heavily, and pulled her grimoire into her lap. "So, what is it?" Her tone was conversational again, as if it was just some irritating problem posed to her by one of her professors.

A scowl settled on your face. Your heart was still thudding in your chest. "How would I know? I'm not the occultist. You go ask it."

"You do it."

"It's your turn - I already touched it with my foot."

The two of you continued to bicker in the corner of your room, ignoring the fact that the thing was clearing it's throat. Quietly at first, and then steadily louder.

"I'm not an it," it protested finally, when the throat clearing wasn't getting your collective attention, it's voice a low growl. The two of you still didn't acknowledge it, caught in the conundrum of trying to figure out what exactly you had managed to summon. That seemed to annoy it. "Silence!" The voice roared, and this time it managed to get your attention.

You and Saori glanced at it; it seemed to be gratified that it finally held your attention.

Almost immediately, though, you turned back to Saori. "What are we gonna do about it?"

In front of you, the figure you had summoned was pouting at being ignored once more. And at being continually referred to as an 'it'. "I'm not an it," it repeated, sounding quite put out by the situation it was in. At least this time you and Saori both turned to, well, it, in curiosity. "I am the Vampire Lord Bala Vrána, of House Vrána, and Prince Imperial!" His rich voice held a distinct note of self-important, and he tossed his cloak in a manner that made it flutter impressively behind him.

Saori cocked her head, examining him carefully. "So you're definitely not Demon Earl Raum, then."

Gently shoving Saori in the arm, you shook your head, muttering, "I'm pretty sure we established he's not Raum."

Annoyed, she clicked her tongue. "I was just checking..."

Bala huffed, and you glanced at him. Apparently he wasn't one used to being ignored. "Why have you summoned me to this - " Bala gestured around your room, nose wrinkling, " - human realm?" The haughty tone was still in his voice.

Hugging your knees to your chest, you made a vague sound. "You were an accident. If you can't tell, it wasn't supposed to be you, but the Demon Earl Raum."

"What do you mean I was an accident?" He sounded injured - petulant and offended by the way things were playing out. Definitely didn't sound like some imperious 'Vampire Lord', as he called himself.

"Yep, we were trying to summon Raum instead, not you," Saori confirmed, slamming her grimoire shut. Frowning, she studied Bala carefully. "Wait, Vampire Lord...? Hold on." Not waiting for Bala to say anything, and you knew at this point she was talking more to herself than anything else, Saori got up and grabbed her purse, digging through it and mumbling to herself. Both you and Bala stared after her, wondering what she was looking for. "Found it!" Triumphantly, Saori sat back down next to you, shuffling through a deck of cards in her hand.

You watched, curious, while Bala shuffled about in the circle, still pouting somewhat. Well, at least he was....alive? Were vampires really alive, though? You tugged at a strand of hair; that would be a question for another day. Point being, at least a body hadn't fallen from your ceiling that you then had to drag out of your house and somehow dispose of.

"Take a look," Saori said, holding up a card. You glanced at it.

And then you immediately snatched it out of her hand. "No fucking way!"

"Really, you should watch your language," Bala said, sounding scandalised, "It's unbecoming of -"

"Oh, shut it, Bala," you said, glancing between the card and at him. Bala bristled, and looked like he was about to say something else, but decided not to.

You held up the card next to Bala, still looking between it and the person in front of you. No way, it was just a fucking card game. It was impossible, and yet you held Saori's card in your hand, and Bala was standing in the middle of your damn bedroom.

"So....you're telling me we accidentally summoned a Duel Monster?"

"Seems like it."

* * *

 

Sometime later, after you and Saori cleaned up your room (with Bala sulking in a corner nearly the entire time), the three of you retired to your living room. Bala gingerly sat on your couch, making sure his cloak was out of the way. He looked decidedly out of place compared to your sparsely furnished home. Coming back from the kitchen, tray of tea and accoutrements in hand, you took a seat next to Saori.

After pouring tea for everyone, you leaned back in your seat, and assessed the situation at hand. Bala took a teacup, looking both dainty and awkward at the same time.

"So, are you really a vampire?" You asked curiously.

He regarded you carefully, and it was obvious he thought it was a stupid question. "What do you think?" He asked, and smiled coolly, gesturing to his fangs. Well, that and the card was called 'Vampire Lord'. But still, you felt like you needed some sort of confirmation.

"Well....alright..."

Now, under the light of your living room, you could pick out more details of his appearance. Somewhat shaggy mint hair hung in his eyes (yellow? they looked yellow), and you saw that his skin had a greyish-purple tinge to it, like a corpse. Ruffled white cuffs poked out from the sleeves of his crimson doublet. His features were too symmetrical - it was almost uncanny; that sort of perfection wasn't human (but he wasn't human, you corrected yourself).

Bala caught you staring at him, and he gave you a smarmy little grin. You scowled at him.

"So, Saori, what do we need to send him back?" You said, and you saw the grin disappear from his face.

Saori paused mid-sip, as both you and Bala stared at her. A flush crept up her neck and face under the combined scrutiny. "Uh..."

"Well?" Bala asked, "Open that tome, draw another circle, and return me to my realm."

"Um..."

You narrowed your eyes at your best friend. "Saori.... spill it."

"It doesn't say how," she said finally.

Bala blinked at her, not understanding for a few moments. And then comprehension dawned on his face, realizing the implication of her words. "The tome you used to summon me doesn't detail how to return me home?" He sounded incredulous.

"No..." Saori was cringing next to you, and you were staring at her.

"Wait, wait, wait. What if we had summoned Raum like we intended?" You asked her, disbelief flooding your voice.

"Nooo, that's in the instructions!" Saori grumbled. "Bala is not from the same realm - I don't even know what happened that we got him instead - it's a totally different matter. Different realm requires different materials, Enns, sigils..." She folded her arms over her chest, and bit her lip, musing over the situation.

"So, you gonna ask that seller for some help?" You prompted her before she got too lost in thought.

"Yeah, I'm sure I can ask her about it," she said, nodding. "I think I know what book I need, the problem is tracking down a copy."

You frowned. It did take nearly six months to get your hands on the grimoire that Saori was holding - it was easy enough to know which book you needed, it was a wholly different matter to find someone who was willing to part with their copy.

"We're looking at what, anywhere from a month to.... six months before we can find a seller?"

Saori nodded. "Yep. The occult market can be pretty finicky."

"So..." Bala finally spoke up after a few minutes. "I'm stuck here in this human world?" His voice was small, and had lost all of it's imperiousness; instead, it had become rather plaintive. Okay, so you did feel a little bad for him. He had fallen from your ceiling, got prodded by your foot, and now he was finding out he wouldn't be able to return home any time soon.

"Just for a little bit," Saori said, trying to sound reassuring. Bala didn't say anything, and instead he fiddled with the edge of his cloak. Then she turned to you. "By the way, he's going to have to stay with you."

You nearly choked on your tea. "Why my place? You take him with you."

"Nope, no can do. I live with my girlfriend, remember? One bed, one bath apartment? What am I going to tell her? 'Hey, I messed up, summoned the Duel Monster Vampire Lord and he's going to be staying with us for an unspecified amount of time in our tiny little home'?"

"Yeah?"

"Nope, you live by yourself so it's not that big of a deal for you." Standing up, Saori set down her half-drunk tea and gathered her tome and purse. "I'll let you know when I'm home, and keep you updated on tracking down the other grimoire."

"But..."

"Byeeeee," Saori said in a sing-songy voice, not giving you a chance to protest, and then she was gone. The sound of the slamming door echoed through your home.

"Ah, damn..." You sighed, and finished the last of your tea. Glancing over at Bala, who had remained silent during that entire exchanged, you frowned. He was still looking a little lost and upset over the whole situation.

"You alright?" You asked gently.

"No," he said mulishly, crossing his arms across his chest.

You held back the desire roll your eyes at him. "Okay... Listen, I'm sorry about all this. But Saori and I will figure things out, and send you back home. Anyway, I'm gonna head to bed. It's late, and I'm tired."

For whatever reason, that seemed to get Bala's attention. "Oh? And where would I be sleeping?" His voice had the lordly lilt to it once again.

"Do vampires even need to sleep?"

"Well....we rest," he admitted. "Regardless, where shall I be sleeping?"

You blinked at him. "Here. On the couch."

"That's unacceptable. I would far prefer your bed."

"Oh no, definitely not."

"Whyever not? Your room seems...adequate, and your bed is large enough."

Don't grind your teeth, don't grind your teeth.... "I said no. I'm not sharing my bed."

With surprising grace, Bala rose from his seat, making his way around the coffee table to stand in front of you. He leaned over you, and the scence of the dragon's blood incense, close and myrrh surrounded you. His face was too close to yours, and he was smirking (almost leering) down at you.

"Whyever not?" He repeated, voice low and smooth. Reaching up, he trailed his fingers down the side of your face, and then traced the line of your jaw. His nails scratched very lightly against your skin, and you tried not to shiver.

Bala noticed, and he leaned in even closer, breath (vampires could breathe?) ghosting across your face. "Think of it... such a rare opportunity for a mortal. Sharing your bed with a vampire, lying so close to a Lord who will be in your debt, imagine the possibilities of what could occur..."

You lifted your hand, and you saw Bala's smirk widen. Placing your hand on his chest - and he looked downright smug now - you paused for a mere second, and then shoved him roughly away from you. He stumbled, almost falling backwards onto your coffee table, a choked cry coming from him.

"Nice try, but no."

Standing, you took a moment to stretch, and then grinned at Bala who was trying to gather his composure. You had definitely hurt his ego, and the pout had returned to his face.

"Can't believe you thought that would work..." You laughed, beginning to make your way to your bedroom. "Anyway, goodnight, Bala... enjoy the couch."

And you flicked off the living room lights, leaving Bala still standing in the dark.


End file.
